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Post by Nomz on Nov 12, 2024 3:57:19 GMT
She doesn't move as he comes up to her, hands boxing her in. It- he doesn't feel unsafe, not like before. Felicia watches him, searching for something in his eyes before she blinks slowly. Her voice finds its way back to her and she tries for a shaky smile.
"Sometimes the horrors never cease." It isn't as strong as she hopes it to be and her hand moves, looking for his wrist- for something she can hold onto to ground herself just a little. Felicia stops just short of touching him, unsure as she asks, "May I- Is it okay if I hold you? I just- It helps me if I can feel someone else and you can feel a heartbeat from the wrist."
"Sorry, I saw something not too long ago and it just...lingers in the dark for me. Something I can't unhear and it- It isn't now. Here is now. You're now."
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Post by Countess on Nov 12, 2024 4:14:06 GMT
The horrors never cease. How true she is. "They don't," he murmurs. "They have only changed form. I have watched the deaths of civilizations, and I do not see how it is any different from the slavery the corporations of America perpetuate on its people," he says quietly. So much is perhaps made clear to her about him. "Slowly, they bleed the people dry, taking all resources they have, and rewrite history so everything is palatable..."
Matias fights a pleased noise. She is looking to him for comfort. Something about that... well, he is a possessive man. "You can touch me. Thank you for asking. I will stop you if I do not want it," he says, careful and practiced. That is the way of the world now. He needs to remember.
"What did you see, Felicia?" Matias asks, leaning in closer as he speaks lower. "You can tell me. If you think they deserve death, I can grant it."
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Post by Nomz on Nov 12, 2024 4:35:13 GMT
Like a puzzle piece finally turning to fit into place, his intensity from the first night they met makes so much more sense. He looks at the way the corporations operate and sees the slavery of so many civilizations before it. Felicia can't find a position to argue against that view.
As soon as permission is given, thin fingers wrap around his right wrist, moving until they settle on against his pulse. With every steady beat of his heart, the tension drains from her shoulders until they slump. A wry little smile pulls at her lips. "Thank you for letting me touch you, for helping me."
"I got myself involved in a mission I should have stayed out of," she starts, watching him as she speaks. Felicia leans down just a little as her voice drops, "On paper, I thought I knew what would happen. Instead, there was-" she pauses to find the word, "-collateral." And her nose wrinkles as she frowns. The word feels wrong in her mouth, but she can't afford to put more meaning into it.
"He was just a driver. He got dragged along the pavement-" She doesn't like saying, reliving it. Felicia closes her eyes and leans all the way forward until her forehead rests on his. She speaks as if sharing a secret. "He was just a person who got caught in a fight between two people with superhuman strength. It was a needless, pointless death, Matias."
"I didn't do it. Doubt I could have stopped it. I live with his screams now."
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Post by Countess on Nov 12, 2024 4:46:01 GMT
Her contact is a balm. "Touch me whenever you like," he says, carefully, quietly. "I liked your touches the last time. They made me grounded, brought me back to this life," he tells her.
"I know you didn't do it," he says, honest in this. The woman who steals, surely, but also protects those who cannot on their own? No. That isn't her. There is no doubt.
"Who caused those screams, Gatita?" Matias urges her, giving in to his baser instincts. Why not? She knows enough. His head moves against hers, cheek pressing against cheek, his scent imprinting upon her. She is his now. If she were truly lucky, this wouldn't have happened. They never would have crossed paths.
"Let me ease the screams. I can get retribution."
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Post by Nomz on Nov 12, 2024 5:30:15 GMT
Felicia does not fight back a pleased sound at the permission granted to her nor the knowledge that she grounds him in the same way he grounds her. His words are soothing as he speaks and Felicia finds herself wondering when was the last time someone did not treat her with the suspicion she deserves. To hear someone so readily take her side in anything- it leaves her a little breathless.
She rubs her cheek to his in turn, taking satisfaction in the way his stubble brushes against her. Her free hand comes up to touch his wrist, elbow, and shoulder and then it slides down to where she knows his scars are. Felicia's touch is light as she gives in to his requests for more knowledge.
"Asking sweetly, I see," she whispers with how close her mouth is to his ear. "His name is Hammerhead. He had been kicked away from the other guard. All he had to do was let go. He held on and then stood up as if nothing had happened." A shudder shakes her shoulders and she finds herself curling around Matias for some semblance of protection.
"Please don't kill in my name, Papi. I'll carry that with me to the grave."
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Post by Countess on Nov 13, 2024 3:11:21 GMT
"I won't kill in your name..." Matias says, easy and low. "... but I will kill in the name of the next person he might kill. And the next... and the next... and the next..."
Matias lets the words hang there for a moment, allowing her to think about it. It is the gate way to more, the path to allowing him to do what he does best: avenge. Will she allow it...? Will she care if someone else does it for him? Arms curl around her, quiet and intimate.
"You can stay here, if you want," he murmurs. "If anything, let me chase away your dreams. Maybe you can chase mine away, too," he offers her. He isn't searching for anything more than someone to hold as he drifts off to sleep. "You don't have to say yes. You can leave, and I won't think more or less of you for it," Matias reassures her. He is very aware of the power dynamics at play here.
"Before you decide, however..." he starts, holding up the bracelet. She had gone through a lot to get it to him. He won't forget that. "What does it do, Gatita?"
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Post by Nomz on Nov 13, 2024 3:51:33 GMT
She closes her eyes, weighing his words and their meaning. The people who get hurt from this point on. She had thought she was taking more steps into the light, to where Peter and Ghost are- to the hero they say she can be. But, maybe there is no light or dark. Maybe it's just shades of more and less grey. Perhaps everyone walks in the twilight she has always known.
Felicia nods just once in agreement, expecting Matias to understand her and know. Her body relaxes under his arms and she knows sleep would not be hard to find. But, she doesn't belong here, could not bring herself to ask-
Hearing him voice her own wants gives her the courage to push through, to accept what is being so freely given. How long had it been since she had someone to chase away her nightmares? Her lips part to reply when he continues with one last question and the return of his pet name for her.
"Luck," she replies easily enough as her hand moves from his wrist to the bracelet. If allowed, she would take it from him and hold it so he could slide it on. "It is soft, subtle enough that you may not notice it working. A door you need desperately need open left unlocked. A patrol passing you by when you need to be found least."
She turns her head so she can look at the bracelet without moving away from him.
"Don't lose it. While it will find its way back to you within 30 days, you will find yourself with bad luck. Nothing that will kill you, but certainly something that can be damning all the same." Felicia hums low in her throat, thinking. "If you are dying and wish to pass it on, you merely need to speak their name and it will find its way to them. Until you pass it on, it will work for no one except you- even if stolen."
"If you don't wear it, it is just a pretty bracelet. A gift from your Gatita."
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Post by Countess on Nov 13, 2024 4:15:06 GMT
A nod is all he needs. "Consider it done," Matias murmurs to her. He won't bother her with this any further. His blood starts to heat a little- a hunt. A well deserved hunt. No one hurts what is his.
"A fine gift," Matias says, tone warm. She deserves encouragement. "Thank you. I will take care with it," he says, already slipping it onto his wrist. It is a show of respect and thanks towards her. "You will have to tell me the whole tale. There are so few secrets between us- I live wholly. If I have a chance to do so with someone, I do. Is this okay?" he says, wanting to drop so many walls he has erected. She knows who he is, and there can be freedom in that. What he does from there is up to her, if she shares his secret. For now... she won't. That is enough. She is enough.
"Come to bed with me, Felicia. If you take care of me, I will take care of you," Matias says in his deep timbre. Already he is leaning, crawling past her to the haphazardly strewn sheets. He adjusts them carefully. Gently, he puts himself into a comfortable position. He lifts his arm to beckon into the crook of it, sheets open for her. An invitation. All she needs to do is take it.
The door of the balcony beckons, too. She doesn't have to be here. He gave her the choice- what shall she take?
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Post by Nomz on Nov 13, 2024 4:33:30 GMT
The smile that lights up her face is genuine and brings a youthfulness that is often lost in her little smirks and games. The sight of him wearing something that she gave him just feels right. She turns to hide under his jaw where she is safe and unseen. His encouragement feels light, warm across her shoulders and she quite enjoys it. She wants more of it.
"That is more than okay. Be who you are with me, Matias. I-" How does she tell him that she needs that? That the idea of having that kind of relationship with anyone fills her heart with joy? Felicia wets her lips, taking a steadying breath. "I want that more than I can express. If you want to know something, ask and it is yours."
Those soft grey eyes watch as he leans closer and then crawls past her to the comfort of his sheets. Felicia stays where she is, quiet and careful as he lays down and then offers her a place in his arms. She seeks out his eyes in the low lighting equal parts wanting to stay and wanting to leave. Short nails dig under her hairline and Felicia pulls free her wig only to let it fall to the floor.
Blonde strands fall around her ears and chin as she moves forward, crawling up and over to him. Felicia does not talk as she turns her back to him and drops into the sheets he so helpfully holds open for her. The little cat yawns, unable to help herself.
"Thank you, Papi."
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Post by Countess on Nov 13, 2024 4:44:51 GMT
Ah... finally the wig is gone. She looks so much more beautiful like this. He always loved the sun more than the moon, however. He pulls her into an embrace, allowing her to get comfortable just as he had.
"You are more than welcome," Matias murmurs, eyes closing. He's warm as he holds her, like a cat that has been laying in the sun.
Matias takes a deep, settling breath... then slips into sleep, his dreams far softer than before.
END THREAD
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